Public opinions to be solicited on express delivery regulation

Premier Li Keqiang required related departments to solicit public opinions on the draft regulation for express delivery at the State Council executive meeting on July 12.

“We should not only consider the opinions of administrative authority, but also the views of all delivery companies,” Premier Li said. “More importantly, the courier industry has been closely linked with people’s lives, thus their opinions should be heard.”

He also noted that express delivery is an emerging industry which can offer convenience for people, reduce logistical costs, stimulate consumption and promote economic development.

“When the courier industry just emerged several years ago, it was not allowed to be developed in some cities, attributing to its possible negative impact on a city’s outlook. But we believe that, supervision should be conducted in an inclusive yet prudent way, rather than stifle new things at the initial period,” the Premier said.

The transformation of government’s concept in supervision has boosted the continuous growth of the new business format in recent years. In 2016, China’s delivery volume exceeded 30 billion packages, with 2.45 million new jobs being created.

“The express delivery industry has benefited a lot from the State Council’s measures of cutting red tape and improving public service,” Wang Wei, board chairman of SF Express, said at a symposium chaired by the Premier a week before.

He told the Premier that SF Express now uses 53 airplanes and 15,000 vehicles to ship items and is upgrading the industry by developing automatic sorting, drone delivery and smart logistics.

“The express industry has changed a lot. We must understand that, as new industries and businesses are emerging rapidly, the things we don’t know are much more than those we know. So, we must be inclusive and prudent in market supervision,” Premier Li said at the latest executive meeting.

“Meanwhile, being inclusive does not mean the government will let the market run itself, instead, it will conduct more effective supervision, in order to create a fair and healthy market,” he added.

Premier Li pointed out that the government must listen to the opinions of all stakeholders and conduct in-depth research, so the draft regulation of express delivery cannot only promote a healthy development of the industry, but also protect the legal rights of customers and companies.

“If the express delivery industry booms, the logistics cost in China can be further cut and the domestic market can be stimulated,” he said.